2. The Noun Countable Nouns

2.1. Give the plural of the following nouns.

A leaf, a child, a man, a mouse, a jacket, a tooth, a lady, a sheep, a piano, a blouse, a lamp, a box, a hero, a page, a library, a book, a glass, a company, a wife, a deer, an ox, a shelf, a knife, a country, a sofa, a match, a bench, a fly, a snake, a toy, a play, a table, a dress, a mirror, a cow, a school-mate, a school-teacher, an air-raid, a hold-all, a forget-me-not, a brother-in-law, a passer-by, a postman, a man-of-war, a merry-go-round.

2.2. Give the plural form of the words underlined.

Pattern: I met a man at the meeting last night – I met some men at the

meeting last night.

1. I saw a mouse running across the floor. 2. The baby got a new tooth. 3. I need a match. 4. He cooked a potato for dinner. 5. I visited a city in the Ukraine. 6. She photographed a leaf. 7. I caught a fish. 8. I saw a sheep in the farmyard. 9. She talked to a child. 10. When I was in the park yesterday, I saw a goose. 11. He packed a box. 12. The wagon is being pulled by an ox. 13. The children hid behind the bush. 14. I told the child a fable about a wolf and a fox.

Uncountable Nouns

a) as for uncountable nouns some of them are always singular and some are plural.

English Singular Invariable Nouns		English Plural Invariable Nouns
Advice money news progress ink	yeast fruit cream	clothes contents odds greens people	sweepings stairs earnings wages

b) such uncountable English Nouns as news, advice, information work, weather, money, success, progress:

1. can’t take the Indefinite article;

2. agree with the verb only in the singular.

For example: The weather is fine today.

It’s good advice.

Your progress makes me happy.

The news was shocking.

c) partition is shown with the help of such words as slice, piece, bar, lump, block, item, article, grain:

a piece of chalk a grain of rice a bar of chocolate a block of ice an item of news an article of furniture

2 pieces of chalk 3 bars of chocolate a lot of blocks of ice a lot of items of news many grains of rice many articles of furniture

2.3. Correct the mistakes.

1. The news he gave them were interesting. 2. I can give you two good advices. Will you bring three chalks? 3. The mice has eaten ten rices. 4. Your foot are so dirty. Go and wash them. 5. I’d like two sugars for my tea. 6. They have got modern furnitures. 7. Give me two slice of bread. 8. How many chocolate have you bought?

This – These / That – Those

3.1. Make these negative and interrogative.

1. This is a motor-car. 2. This is a cat. 3. Those are kings. 4. These words are easy. 5. That is a bad egg. 6. The dog is under the table. 7. The train is in the station. 8. The cigarette is on the table. 9. That is a door. 10. Those are flowers. 11. This shoe is too large for my foot. 12. This key is made of steel.

3.2. Make the plural.

Pattern: This is a king – These are kings.

1. This is a star. 2. This is a boy. 3. That is a mountain. 4. Is this a shilling? 5. Is this a man? 6. Is that a train? 7. That is not an aeroplane. 8. Is the window open? 9. That is not a queen. 10. This isn’t a star. 11. That goose is big. 12. That girl is my niece. 13. A potato is a vegetable and a cherry is a fruit. 14. Is this boy near the window? 15. It is a sheep. 16. It that a flower?

3.3. Put into the Singular.

1. These are difficult sentences. 2. The flowers are yellow. 3. You are future specialists. 4. The children are at school. 5. They are in the garden. 6. Those boys are good friends. 7. These are pencils. 8. These are my stockings. 9. Those women are engineers. 10 These tea-cups are yellow. 11. Are these mice white? 12. These are not pens, they are not in the box.

3.4. Fill in the gaps with this, that, these or those.

1…. car over there belongs to the mayor. 2 … people over there are waiting for the bus. 3. We are moving house … month. 4. … diamond earrings here are priceless. 5. I’ve got a new job. - …’s wonderful news. 6. « Mum, … is my teacher, Miss Jones». 7. … are my holiday photos. 8. « Hello, … is Jack Black speaking». 9. … house here was built in 1500. 10. The day I got married was wonderful. I will remember … day for ever. 11. I had a wonderful childhood. We did things differently in … days. 12. «Hello, this is Alan. Who’s …, please?